I finally pulled the trigger on a used R6 last week and honestly I am panicking a little bit because I have this big trip to Iceland coming up in exactly 18 days and I still dont even have a lens to go with it. Like I have the body sitting on my desk just staring at me and I feel like I am running out of time to figure this out. I have been reading so many reviews and everyone keeps saying to get the RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM because it is the gold standard for travel but then I go on YouTube and some guys are saying that if I dont get the 24-70mm f/2.8 I am going to totally regret it for low light stuff and bokeh.
But the thing is that 24-70 is like way out of my price range right now since I just spent a ton on the body and the flights and everything else. I have about $1200 left in my savings for this and the 24-105 fits that budget perfectly but I am so worried it wont be fast enough for those moody blue hour shots or if we get lucky with the northern lights or something. Then I saw there is a much cheaper 24-105 that isnt an L series lens but some people say the image quality is soft at the edges and I really dont want to travel all that way just to have blurry or disappointing photos of the glaciers. My head is kind of spinning with all the apertures and the weight differences too because I am gonna be hiking a lot and I dont want a massive brick hanging around my neck all day.
I just want one lens that can stay on the camera the whole time because I hate swapping glass when it is windy or raining and I know Iceland is gonna be messy. Is the f/4 L lens really enough for a general all-rounder or am I making a huge mistake by not saving up for the 2.8? Is there maybe another option I am missing that works well with the R6 sensor? What is actually the best all-around zoom for this setup that wont break my bank or my back...
Regarding what #1 said about the Canon RF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM, I think it is the safest bet for reliability. I used a non-sealed lens on a rainy hike once and it was a total nightmare when moisture got inside the barrel.
- Stick to the L series for the weather sealing; Iceland is brutal.
- Use the leftover $300 from your budget for a sturdy tripod for the aurora.
- The R6 sensor is great at high ISO, so f/4 is usually enough.
Coming back to this... from a technical standpoint, the Canon RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM is the most logical choice. The R6 sensor handles high ISO so well that the one-stop difference from f/2.8 is negligible for landscapes. You get 5 stops of OIS that syncs with the IBIS, and for Northern Lights, you will likely be using a tripod anyway. It fits your $1200 budget perfectly and wont kill your back on long Icelandic hikes.
Honestly, stop stressing and just grab the Canon RF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM. In my experience, its basically the perfect travel lens for the R6. I've taken it on plenty of hiking trips and the weight is way more manageable than the f/2.8 brick. The weather sealing is gonna be a lifesaver in Iceland too... that rain and mist gets everywhere.
- f/4 is plenty for landscapes since youll be stopped down anyway
- The R6 sensor is legendary with high ISO so dont sweat blue hour
- That extra reach to 105mm is way more useful than f/2.8 for framing glaciers Dont bother with the cheap non-L version. The image quality on the L glass is what you want for those shots. If youre really worried about the aurora, maybe hunt down a cheap used Canon RF 16mm f/2.8 STM later, but for most of your trip, that 24-105 is the winner.
Finally someone says it. Ive been thinking this for a while but wasnt sure.
